The couple were catapulted into the spotlight after the May 10 airing of an episode of the reality TV show "Kitchen Nightmares" in which they were shown yelling expletives at customers, taking tips left for servers and refusing to take any criticism from the host, British chef Gordon Ramsay.

In a first for the show, Ramsay walked away from the restaurant before implementing new business practices, saying he had finally met "two owners who I could not help, and it wasn't because I didn't want to, it was because they are incapable of listening."

The social-media outcry was immediate. Thousands of people from across the country took to Yelp, Facebook, Reddit and other user-driven websites to voice their disgust with the owners.

A social-media poster claiming to be the Bouzaglos retaliated, spewing obscenities and vowing legal recourse. Buzzfeed called it "the most epic brand meltdown on Facebook ever." Yahoo, Forbes, the Daily Beast, E! Online and Huffington Post all had stories on the Bouzaglos, who have since claimed their website and all of their social-media accounts were hacked. Those claims are being investigated by the Scottsdale Police Department.

Since the initial controversy, 12 News and The Republic have uncovered legal troubles for the couple.

Samy is facing deportation and served time in prison before immigrating to the United States 13 years ago. In 2003, Amy pleaded guilty to the misuse of a Social Security number after she applied for a $15,000 bank loan. Back then, her last name was Amanda Bossingham - she married Samy Bouzaglo in January 2004. She entered prison in late 2008 and was released in October 2009.

"We both made mistakes in the past. We have done our time," Amy told the Republic on May 21. "We can't comment. We know God is with us."